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Innovative Technologies in Food Engineering Towards Sustainability

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Sustainable Food".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 December 2025 | Viewed by 625

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Institute of Technology of Agricultural Products-ELGO DEMETER, 14123 Lykovrissi, Greece
Interests: nonthermal technologies; food quality; valorization of food waste; food engineering; food and nutrition; mathematical modelling of processes; fruits and vegetables
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Innovative technologies in food engineering play a crucial role in driving sustainability within the food industry, helping to reduce waste, enhance efficiency, and minimize the environmental impact of food production, processing, and distribution. With a growing global population, the demand for food is increasing, placing additional pressure on natural resources and the environment. This Special Issue invites original research articles and reviews focused on innovative, sustainable technologies in food engineering. Nonthermal technologies—such as High-Pressure Processing, Pulsed Electric Fields, Ultrasounds, Microwaves, and Cold Atmospheric Plasma—present opportunities to improve food safety, reduce energy consumption, and enhance the quality and sensory attributes of food products, meeting consumer demand for minimally processed, high-quality foods.

The issue also seeks to highlight sustainable approaches, including eco-friendly processes throughout the food chain, the development of new foods through the re-use of natural resources (such as alternative proteins), and the valorization of food waste in accordance with Circular Economy principles. Additionally, studies on sustainable waste management, the valorization of by-products, green facility construction, resource re-use, and wastewater treatment for sustainable resource exploitation are welcome. Manuscripts with both specialized and interdisciplinary approaches to these key aspects of sustainability in food engineering are encouraged.

Dr. Varvara Andreou
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • nonthermal technologies of foods
  • minimal processes
  • circular economy
  • eco-friendly processes
  • reduction of energy consumption
  • food waste disposal
  • environmental sustainability
  • life cycle assessment
  • valorization
  • management of food losses

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Published Papers (1 paper)

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Research

20 pages, 2039 KB  
Article
Sustainable Management of Fruit By-Products Through Design Thinking: Development of an Innovative Food Product
by Sylwia Sady, Alfred Błaszczyk, Bogdan Pachołek, Anna Muzykiewicz-Szymańska, Anna Nowak, Justyna Syguła-Cholewińska, Tomasz Sawoszczuk, Stanisław Popek, Małgorzata Krzywonos, Agnieszka Piekara and Dominika Jakubowska
Sustainability 2025, 17(15), 7164; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17157164 - 7 Aug 2025
Viewed by 380
Abstract
Sustainable development and the circular economy have become key challenges in the modern food sector, calling for innovative solutions that reduce waste and promote the efficient use of resources. The aim of this study was to develop a functional food product by utilizing [...] Read more.
Sustainable development and the circular economy have become key challenges in the modern food sector, calling for innovative solutions that reduce waste and promote the efficient use of resources. The aim of this study was to develop a functional food product by utilizing by-products from chokeberry processing, thereby contributing to circularity in food systems. The integration of design thinking with fermentation of chokeberry pomace is presented in this study as an approach to developing value-added food ingredients. Qualitative consumer research (focus group interviews, n = 36) identified preferences and expectations regarding functional foods containing by-products. Conducted by an interdisciplinary team, the project followed five stages, involving both qualitative and quantitative research. Liquid surface fermentation was performed using Aspergillus niger, selected for its proven ability to enhance the antioxidant capacity and polyphenol content of plant matrices. The optimal process was 2-day fermentation under controlled pH conditions with glucose supplementation, which significantly enhanced the quality and nutritional value of the final product. Antioxidant activity (ABTS, FRAP, CUPRAC assays), total polyphenols, anthocyanins, and proanthocyanidins were determined, showing significant increases compared to non-fermented controls. The outcome was the development of a dried, fermented chokeberry pomace product that meets consumer expectations and fulfils sustainability goals through waste reduction and innovative reuse of fruit processing by-products. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Innovative Technologies in Food Engineering Towards Sustainability)
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